


Heartbroken

by embeer2004



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game)
Genre: Broken Heart, Caring, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:20:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26443324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embeer2004/pseuds/embeer2004
Summary: After learning what happened to his best friend, Lambert is heartbroken. Gaetan finds the ill witcher and cares for him, and learns the fate of his mentor.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 37





	Heartbroken

**Author's Note:**

> This fic goes with the idea that Lambert found out what had happened to Aiden, but he doesn’t know all the details yet. Heartbroken in his grief, it’s only after Gaetan’s attentions that he recovers so that he can go after Karadin and his gang.

* * *

“Drink.” Gaetan presses a vial of freshly made swallow to the Wolf’s lips and carefully slips a hand behind the witcher’s head, raising it slightly.  
  
Lambert doesn’t react to the jostling, utterly unaware of what’s going on around him. He’s got a fever unalike of what Gaetan thought was even possible for one of their kind, sapping all his strength, and his breathing is quick and shallow. And, now that he has dared to light a small torch, Gaetan can clearly see that the blue tinge of Lambert’s lips had not been a trick of the earlier light seeping into their little hidey hole.  
  
In the near silence of the cave, Lambert’s heartbeat sounds loud and erratic; too fast for a witcher, and so irregular that Gaetan wonders if Lambert’s in any pain from it. And if not that, then what exactly _is_ causing Lambert’s pain? He can’t see any glaring injuries or signs of potion toxicity, but those lines twisting the Wolf’s face and the slight arching Lambert’s body does even while unconscious are clear enough indicators.  
  
Pushing down a bit on Lambert’s lower lip, Gaetan tilts the vial up and spills some of the healing potion into his mouth. The Wolf’s breathing splutters, and there’s a choking rasp as Lambert’s body jerks and twitches like a stepped on beetle as he wetly coughs up some of the ill ingested swallow.  
  
Quickly, Gaetan rolls him onto his side and harshly rubs Lambert between his shoulder blades.  
  
“Work _with_ me, you stupid Wolf,” he scolds the unconscious man, wondering why he’s even trying. Well, no… Gaetan _knows_ why he’s trying to help this one. Lambert had been travelling with their caravan often enough over the years to become a familiar face. In fact, he has become such a familiar face that he’s been more or less adopted into their clutter…  
  
He’s travelling alone now, though, unusual for this time of year, and he looks so gaunt and ill…  
  
Gaetan remembers that Lambert is several decennia younger than him; the youngest witcher he’s met so far, but right now the Wolf looks like one of those old and decrepit humans; hair greying, and face marked with pain and those sad wrinkles Gaetan had spotted time and time again on old war veterans and widows… Lambert looks ancient and feeble and Gaetan’s instincts are screaming at him to _protect_!  
  
The light of the torch gleams off the bit of metal Lambert’s been holding on to as though his life depends on it, but as he arches up in what looks to be a particular bad surge of pain, his fingers straighten and loosen their hold for just the tiniest moment.  
  
Something starts buzzing loudly in Gaetan’s ears as he looks, and it feels like he’s stepped in an yrden trap placed far beneath the water’s surface. His chest feels tight, and he can’t _breathe_.  
  
Lambert coughs again, weakly, and as his body slumps in exhaustion his fingers close tightly over the Cat medallion again. His clenched fist slowly moves upwards, stilling only once pressed over the witcher’s heart.  
  
“Lambert?” Gaetan twists around and sees a glint of gold. Sighing heavily, he sits down next to the witcher and lifts the man’s head into his own lap. “Take your friggin’ medicine.” He clamps down on the rush of frustration and tries to suppress the uneasy roiling bubbling up from within him. The buzzing is gone from his ears, but somehow he’s feeling _off_ all of a sudden.  
  
Lambert swallows, and his head lolls limply against Gaetan’s leg; it seems that all energy has left him and his eyes are closing again. Utterly spent.  
  
“Oh, no you don’t,” Gaetan tells him, moving his leg a bit to – carefully – jostle the man. “First you swallow this, _then_ you can go to sleep, pup.”  
  
Lambert doesn’t even react to the nickname he so despises, and Gaetan starts to silently freak out.  
  
He _knows_. He knows why Lambert has that medallion, there can only be one reason. It makes his insides clench and twist in an uncomfortable manner to learn that his mentor is dead, but that’s just a witcher’s lot. He’ll deal with it. He always does.  
  
Though knowing the contracts they take, Gaetan won’t say no if there’s some revenge to be had…  
  
Lambert though… Gaetan doesn’t understand what’s happened to drive him into such a state. Wolf mutagens don’t cause _these_ kinds of reactions, do they?  
  
No, it’s more likely that Lambert had a foul run-in with someone. Poison, perhaps magic?  
  
Gaetan will try the swallow first, and if that doesn’t work there are more potions that could restore some of the Wolf’s vitality. Worst comes to worst he’ll even drag him down to civilisation and find a mage healer. He _will_ get his Wolf brother back into fighting condition.  
  
“Come on, puppy,” he tries again, pressing his palm against Lambert’s cheek and running his thumb along the scruffy beard. “Pricklepup?” He dares to use the special nickname none of the other Cats had uttered before.  
  
“Ahhnn?” Lambert’s weak voice is barely louder than one of his shallow breaths, but here in the cave noises bounce off the stone walls and Gaetan’s focusing all his senses on the Wolf, so he hears him just fine.  
  
“Good, stay with me for a bit longer. Drink it all.” Gaetan presses the vial to Lambert’s lips again and tilts it up, this time making sure to also lightly stroke the witcher’s throat to help him swallow.  
  
Luckily, Lambert actually manages to drink the potion without choking, and once he’s done Gaetan gently strokes through the clammy hair, hoping to soothe the man. Lambert’s face is wrinkled up with pain still and so much sadness… Gaetan doesn’t want to see that look on the Wolf’s face. It is _wrong_.  
  
Anger, at least, is familiar to both of them. Anger is better…  
  
“Gotta tell me what happened, Lambert. _Later_ ,” he adds on, seeing confused and sad golden eyes try to focus on him.  
  
Gaetan feels Lambert’s body turn heavy, and now that he’s finally got some of the healing potion inside him he’s willing to let the Wolf slip off into sleep.  
  
For some reason his hand keeps up its repetitive strokes through Lambert’s hair, and his eyes are drawn to where the Wolf is even now still tightly clutching the medallion in his grip.  
  
Lambert nuzzles his face against Gaetan’s leg, and Gaetan immediately looks towards the man’s face. Lambert hasn’t woken; his eyes are still closed, and even though his breaths are still shallow at least his heartbeat is already sounding a bit calmer – the swallow is doing its job.  
  
The small torch Gaetan had lit is blazing madly, fluttering on an inexistent breeze and highlighting the wet trails leaking from the Wolf’s closed eyes.  
  
Sniffing, Gaetan rubs his own oddly hot-feeling eyes and is surprised when his fingers come back wet. This is unfamiliar to him, it’s something of _before_ and even despite his school’s mutagens this shouldn’t happen.  
  
Resigned, and glad that there are no witnesses to see him crying, Gaetan carefully shifts Lambert and himself around until the Wolf’s held securely in his arms. The buzzing is back, and there’s this _roiling_ in his gut as Gaetan realises he’ll never see the other Cat again.  
  
The flame flickers one final time before spluttering out, turning everything to shadows.  
  
 **The end**  
  


models source: [Horsey](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pillowfort.social%2F&t=NjRlZjEzZTRmZDMzMGIyZDk3MzE0MzBhNjhhNmQwOTAwZWVkZmRhYyxjNDQ3NjJkYmEzMDExMjE5MjVmMTQ3YmE3OTIwZDY5ZDIxOGVjYTYz&ts=1597565612), on sfmlab; ([ShittyHorsey ](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.deviantart.com%2Fshittyhorsey%2Fgallery%2F62024246%2Fsfm-models%3Foffset%3D24&t=NWY4MWE3Y2M0MjkyYWM2MzUxZTA2NmFhNGFkNjYxMmU2NmE4MDE0ZCw4MDU1MmJiNjljNTgyMmU2MmU0OTdkMjRhNTIzMzZlYzQwZDFlMzE3&ts=1597565612)on deviantart), [Fatale's Workshop](https://steamcommunity.com/id/xfatalex/myworkshopfiles/?appid=4000) and [nightboy](https://sfmlab.com/project/28410/) for the map


End file.
